Montana Bar Fairies Turn a Tragic Loss Into a Mission to Stop Drunk Driving

The Montana Bar Fairies is a group that hopes to stamp out drunk driving by rewarding those who take a sober cab instead of getting behind the wheel.

They're a non-profit group that provides grief outreach and support for those who have lost family and friends to drunk driving crashes, creates DUI awareness campaigns, and gives coffee gift cards to vehicles left at taverns overnight.

Credit: Montana Bar Fairies

Credit: Montana Bar Fairies

The Sad Origins of the Montana Bar Fairies

Beth McBride opened up about the origin of the Montana Bar Fairies. It, unfortunately, comes from unfathomable pain.

Her son, Bobby Dewbre, was killed by a drunk driver on his 21st birthday in January 2024.

"He was crossing the street with a couple of his friends to catch a sober ride when he was struck and killed by a drunk driver," said McBride.

"Needless to say, for the next several weeks, months really, but for the first five or six weeks, I barely left my house."

Her daughter Carly would visit often, as any supportive daughter would do. But one time she expressed that she wished they could thank people who left their vehicles overnight after drinking.

"I said, 'Well, why can't we?'" said McBride.

"So this is something that we were doing to help us in our grief, to turn our grief into action, but it was just something that we were just going to do to be kind and remind people for a few weeks."

It has turned into something much more.

What Montana Bar Fairies Has Turned Into

It started as mom and daughter giving coffee cards to folks who left their car at the bar overnight in Kalispell. It ballooned to 75 volunteers in the Flathead, and since then, it's expanded to Missoula, Great Falls, Billings and Bozeman.

"We are in several states now too."

McBride never imagined it would get this big.

"What is says is that the US is hungry. Not just Montana, but the entire US is hungry for change."

McBride says drunk driving fatalities peaked again after COVID.

You can help out by donating to the cause, or volunteering your time. The Bar Fairies visit tavern parking lots on Friday and Saturday mornings, leaving coffee gift cards on windshields to thank people for choosing not to drive home

Visit thebarfairies.org.